At least four Danville ninth-graders are being investigated for the alleged hazing of eighth-graders in the boys locker rooms at Danville High School, an Arkansas State Police investigator confirmed Wednesday.

Five eighth-graders have come forward to police, accusing the ninth graders of entering the locker room, turning off the lights and hitting them with leather belts, according to Bill Glover, a state police investigator.

Glover said two ninth-graders have admitted to performing the acts, and two others requested attorney representation before speaking with investigators. The role of a fifth student - the one who allegedly turned off the locker room lights - is still being investigated.

School officials have not commented publicly about the allegations. The alleged hazing reportedly occurred several times between November and early January.

A special school board meeting on Jan. 21 involved "a possible school discipline issue for the purpose of gathering information from the coaches and to seek advice from their board attorney," according to an article published in the Yell County Record.

The school board's attorney advised them not to meet with parents concerning the discipline matter Jan. 22, because they could not talk about students in a discipline matter during an open session meeting, according to the article.

Kenny Bell, Danville High School principal, said on Jan. 23 that he couldn't give any information and could not make any comments about the incident because of the school's discipline code.

Contacted again Thursday, Bell said the school does not have a policy regarding hazing in their current student handbook. The handbook sets forth regulations for school district students in the eighth through 12th grades.

Danville Superintendent Ted Lyons also had no comment on Thursday because it was a student discipline matter.

Yell County Sheriff Bill Gilkey told The Courier he could not comment on the investigation and referred further phone calls to the Arkansas State Police. Glover is one of the state police investigators assigned to assist local agencies in this area.

"We are conducting a thorough investigation and hope to have it wrapped up for the prosecutor to make a final decision," Glover said.

Glover said on Thursday afternoon that he was going to Danville to interview individuals concerning the allegations.

Tom Tatum II, the 15th Judicial District prosecutor, could consider hazing or third-degree battery charges, both Class B misdemeanors punishable by up to six months in jail, Glover said.

Tatum said Thursday that an investigation is ongoing.

Arkansas Code Annotated 6-5-201 defines hazing as "any willful act on or off the property of any school ... by one student alone or acting with others which is directed against any other student and done for the purpose of intimidating the student attacked by threatening him with social or other ostracism or of submitting such student to ignominy, shame, or disgrace among his fellow students."

It further defines hazing as an act that attempts to frighten or scare fellow students, "humbling the pride, stifling the ambition, or impairing the courage of the student attacked," or acts of physical violence to any student of an educational institution.

While hazing is not specifically discussed, abuse against students is also covered in Danville's student conduct behavior code in the student handbook, which says that "all students are expected to conduct themselves at all times in a manner that will contribute to the best interest of the school system and not infringes on the rights of others." Rule four of that code specifically says that willfully and intentionally assaulting or threatening to assault other students is punishable by a minimum of five days of suspension from school and a maximum of school expulsion for the remainder of the semester.

Anyone with further information can contact the Arkansas State Police.